Changes
by gryffindorgleek
Summary: A lot has changed in the past few months. And life will continue to evolve rapidly. Starts at the end of the Season One finale.
1. How many more?

It'd been three hours. He'd been back for three hours. Two thirds of that had been spent sitting on this stoop behind the school. Where was his dad? **It had been three hours.**

"Hey." Without looking up, he knew it was Ben who had spoken. Ben. A year ago, he had been at his brother's throat 24/7. And then he had found out how much he depended on Ben. How much he'd miss him if he went six months without him. How much he loved him. The answer? A lot.

"Hey." Turning around, he smiled at his younger brother, who was watching him hesitantly from a few yards away, unsure if he was welcome. Hal offered his brother a dry smile, and scooted to the side of the stoop, making room for Ben to join him. For a few minutes, they just sat there in silence.

"I'm sorry." Ben finally said, turning to face his older brother. Sorry?  
>"Sorry? For what? Breaking my Power Rangers when we I was six? I mean, I know I hold a grudge sometimes, but man, we've been invaded by aliens. That kinda gives you some perspective," Hal replied with a small grin.<p>

"I'm sorry I took Karen," Ben answered solemnly. Hal froze. How did he know? Who told him? "Nobody told me. I remember. I can remember some of what happened when I was harnessed. It's blurry and infrequent, but I remember." How did he reply to that? Did he deny it? Say his brother must have been recalling wrong? "And I know I did it, Hal, so don't try to pull some of that 'No, you must not remember right' stuff." Damn the brotherly telepathy.

"Ben," Hal started, before stopping to clear his throat. "Ben. It wasn't you." He started.

"I know it was! I remember!" Ben interjected. Hal held up a hand.

"Let me finish. It wasn't you. Physically, yeah. But it was your body. Not you. Not Ben. Not my little brother. It was the skitters." He reached for his brother's hand, but Ben refused to meet his eyes. "I mean it, Ben," he adds, as if that's somehow some witty or touching remark that would make his brother feel any better. Oddly enough, it seems to do the trick. Ben squeezes his hand and then they're hugging. It feels good, having him close. As if it makes up for those months without him.

After a moment, they break apart and Ben half-smiles at him. Hal returns the smile, and they sit there in silence for a moment more. Both are thinking the same thing, but neither wants to voice their fears for their father. Finally, Ben breaks the quiet.

"What do you think happened to dad?" Hal stiffens. No matter how much Ben's matured in the last few months, he's still his kid brother. Hell, even Hal's just a kid. But he has to play the part of the sturdy, reliable older brother.

"I'm sure he's fine. Dad can look out for himself," he replies, but Ben isn't convinced. Neither is Hal. "Okay, something probably went wrong. He should have been back hours ago. But he has a gun. And he's a big boy. He can handle it. There's nothing we can do but wait."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He's waited years to hear those words come from his brother's lips. 'You're right.' But now, in this moment, he hopes it's a lie. That he's not right. That his dad is only running a bit late because he saw Karen and took on her skidder and slender. That they're both going to be returning to him any moment now. Because if he loses his dad he doesn't think he'll be able to make it anymore. How many more must the stupid aliens take from him?

His mom. One of the only people who's ever really understood him. So kind, so sweet. It wasn't her time.

Karen. His girlfriend. He'd never felt that way about anyone before. She was just like him. They were so perfect for each other. And he let her slip away. But he would have vengeance. He was going to get her back. No matter what.

And then there was his dad. His rock. Sturdy and loving. No matter how bad things got, he was always there for Hal to lean on. He always had a plan.

And who could forget Ben? His little brother. Sure, they had gotten him back, but he wasn't totally there. Sure, he wasn't like Rick, but Ben was so much different now. He could run like an Olympian without getting winded. Jumping rope for two hours. And even his personality.

"I certainly hope not." Ben laughs, but it's not a humorous laugh. It's cold and sharp. A desperate, sad noise.

"When do we move on? I mean, Weaver's gone, too. And _they___know where we are. When do we go meet up with everyone else? With Matt? Oh, God. What if something _did _happen to Dad? How are we gonna tell Matt?" Ben rambled, looking suddenly panicked.

"Hey buddy, chill. Just gotta sit back and let what's gonna happen happen. Be a kid. You _are_ a kid. _I'm_ a kid. Just leave it up to the adults. If Weaver and Dad, or one of them, don't come back in like a half an hour we'll go find the rest of the fighters and come up with a plan. But for now, we wait." Hal said, soothingly. Ben looks at him oddly, confused.

"Since when are you a philosopher?" Ben asks, smirking.

"Since the aliens invaded. Since I got handed a gun and was told to go shoot aliens and try to stay alive. Since my mom died, my little brother was stolen, and I lost my girlfriend. And quite possibly my dad. A lot's changed." Hal says, and the ghosts of smiles that were left on their lips slip away. This is serious.


	2. Who's changing?

**Chapter Two**

Eight months ago, if you had told Hal Mason, star lacrosse player, anything that was in his immediate future, he would have recommended that you see a shrink. He wouldn't believe that aliens would invade the earth or that they would kill his mother and steal Ben. He'd call you insane when you told him that he would meet the most amazing girl in the world, only to have her yanked away six months later. But now, if you told him of the all trials and tribulations yet to come, he would just nod and accept the truth. For here he sat, behind the school that had become a home to him, surrounded by darkness, with Ben asleep next to him.

_Where was their dad?_ Tom should have returned from the attack hours ago. That was the plan. All the soldiers would return from the attack, and they would follow the civilians to safety. They couldn't stay here. Not when the skitters knew exactly where to find them. There was only a handful of them left here. He, Ben, Dai, Maggie, and a few others. Dr. Glass, Lourdes, Matt, and everyone else had left.

Matt. He was safe, Hal knew, but that didn't stop him from worrying. Matt. What if their dad didn't come back? How were they going to explain it to him? Their family couldn't take another hit. He couldn't take it. He was already so beaten, so broken. He'd already lost Rebecca, Karen and Ben. Sure, they had rescued Ben, but he wasn't all there. He was different. Not just physically. Before the invasion, he and Ben had never gotten along. They were just…different. Sure, they loved each other. And it wasn't that they disliked one another, they just…didn't click. But now, they got along. They could hang out. Sure, it was fun to have a brother so close to his age that he actually got on with. But at the same time, it was disconcerting. Weird.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Apparently, Ben had woken up.

"What else? Dad. Mom. Matt. Karen. And you." He said, yawning. He was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. Not now.

"What about me?" Ben asked, looking surprised.

"You drool when you sleep. It's seriously nasty, dude." He said, laughing. Ben chuckled, too, before swatting his arm.

"No I don't, idiot. That's Matt. Kid needs to sleep with a sponge under his mouth or something," Ben replies. They smile, before Ben furrows his brow. "What were you really thinking about me?" What to tell him? The truth? Well, he might as well. Lying wouldn't do any good.

"You're different. Since we've gotten you back. And I don't just mean the obvious, like you having little bits of metal stuck to your spine or being able to jump rope for two hours. Your personality has been totally flipped."

"How so?" Ben asks, looking lost.

"Hello! We can actually be around each other without trying to kill one another! We can talk and hang out! You don't find that a little weird?" He exclaims.

"Well, yeah I've noticed that. But what makes you think it's me? My relationship with Dad and Matt hasn't changed. Maybe I'm not the one that my captivity changed. Maybe you're the one who's different. I mean, it makes sense. You've had to mature a lot in the last seven months. Hasn't your relationship with Dad and Matt changed some? Maybe it wasn't as drastic as the differences between us, but it's happening. Seven months ago, Dad would never have given you a gun and told you to ride off on a motorcycle with your girlfriend in the middle of the night to stand guard against the aliens. Seven months ago, we had a mom. We had a real home, not just a classroom in what used to be a school. And for five months, I was gone. You didn't know if I was dead or alive. So of course our relationship is different! We need each other. And it only took aliens invading the world and taking me hostage for months on end for us to realize it!" Ben looks serious and tired for most of his monologue, but his eyes twinkle as he finishes his rant.

Ben has a point. He has done a lot of growing up in the last seven months. Maybe he is the one who's changed. And when he thinks about it, his relationship with Matt and Tom has evolved, too. Matt used to be his little brother who was just…there. Sure, Matt idolized him. Hal was his other brother. But they didn't have a complex relationship. Now, his family's safety was his first though in the morning and his last at night. Apart from Karen, of course. And what about his dad? Before the invasion, he was closer with his mom than his dad. He and his mom were a lot alike, whereas Tom related more to Ben than to his oldest son. But now, Tom was the only parent he had left. They had more in common, too. Both were soldiers, both were trying to keep what was left of the family, hell, human civilization, together.

"Wow. If we ever get out of this, you should totally be a psychiatrist," He smirks, looking at Ben, who snorts and rolls his eyes. That was more like it.

"C'mon. We should probably head back inside. Get some rest, see what the plan is," Ben says, standing and offering him a hand up. He takes it, and the two brothers slip in the back doors of the school.


End file.
